Title:Minutes of February 21-22, 1851 [An Account of Students Painting
Caricatures of Professors on University Property, Setting Off Gunpowder
Explosions, Making an Uproar on Campus and in the Village, and Assaulting
the Faculty with Stones]: Electronic Edition.

Author: University of North Carolina (1793-1962). General Faculty

Funding from the University Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill supported the electronic publication of this title.

Text transcribed by
Bari Helms

Images scanned by
Caitlin R. Donnelly

Text encoded by
Stephanie Adamson

First Edition, 2007

Size of electronic edition: ca. 25K

Publisher: The University Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

The electronic edition is a part of the University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill digital library, Documenting the American South.

Languages used in the text:
English

Revision history:

2007-02-23, Stephanie Adamson finished TEI/XML encoding.

Source(s):

Title of collection: Records of the General Faculty and Faculty Council
of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (#40106), University
Archives, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Title of document: Minutes of February 21-22, 1851 [An Account of Students
Painting Caricatures of Professors on University Property, Setting Off
Gunpowder Explosions, Making an Uproar on Campus and in the Village, and
Assaulting the Faculty with Stones]

Author: [University of North Carolina (1793-1962). General Faculty]

Description: 4 pages, 4 page images

Note:
Call number 40106 (University Archives, University
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

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Minutes of February 21-22, 1851 [An Account of Students Painting Caricatures of
Professors on University Property, Setting Off
Gunpowder Explosions, Making an Uproar on Campus and in the Village, and Assaulting the Faculty with Stones]

University of North Carolina (1793-1962). General Faculty

Page 88

Friday. February 21st. 1851.

The Faculty met at nine o'clock in the Library, and proceeded to investigate the
particulars of a riot which occurred the night before (Thursday 20th inst).

During the past fortnight, the following disorders have been perpetrated by some
of the students. On two successive Saturday nights, the walls of the belfry, and
in the second instance, the doors of the recitation-rooms also, have been
defaced extensively by drawings and writings in black paint, by which the
different members of the Faculty were caricatured and assailed with ridiculous
or scandalous imputations, and the college property damaged to the amount of a
considerable sum of money. Gunpowder explosions have been made repeatedly at
night before the door of the Laboratory in the South Building, as if designed
expressly to annoy the Professor of Chemistry within. One of these was
calculated to endanger his person as well as the building itself. The powder
being put in contact with the door, it was broken through, retorts and other
vessels inside were shivered, and the whole room as well as the passage outside
filled with smoke.

Disturbances were created Tuesday night and Wednesday night last by riding
horses, blowing horns, ringing bells &c. Yesterday evening (Thursday
20th) an organized party of students, after much tumult
in the campus, proceeded with instruments of this kind to the village,
creating an uproar about the houses of the Professors, and assaulting one of
them with stones. The Faculty now — 11 o'clock P.M. —
repaired together to the college buildings, and took a memorandum of all who
were found absent from their rooms without any known and satisfactory reason.
This produced a temporary quietus, although the

Page 89

riot was not entirely suppressed until one o'clock in the night.

This morning, the following students were called before the Faculty to account
for being absent from their rooms, while this disturbance was going on, and to
say whether they had any and, if any, what participation in the riot: viz, of
the Sophomore class, Messrs Cobb, DeRossett,
P. Green, McClenahan, McIntyre,
Marsh, J. T. Taylor, D. G. Worth, and
A. E. Wright. Of the
Freshman class, Messiers Brooks, Crumpler,
Faison, E. Graham, Grimes, Long, Sawyer, Thompson,
W. Thompson, Walker, Wright and J. Wright.

The statements of each were written down by the President at the
time, and being read in their hearing before they retired, were acknowledged by
themselves to be correct.

Messrs Taylor and Worth said they were in their rooms and had no connexion with the
disorderly party. (These had been reported absent from their rooms by mistake).

Mr A. E. Wright said he was in
Mr Lawrence's room near his
own, and had no part in the disturbance.

Mr De—Rossett said
he was not out of the campus, that he went from the West Building to the South and back
twice, and did nothing more. Mr McIntyre admitted he was in the campus frequently,
but denied ringing the bell or going into the village.

Mr Cobb said he slept with Mr
Washington, but declined
to answer whether he rung the bell, or went with the party into the village or was
concerned in painting the belfry.

Messrs P. Green and McClenahan
admitted they were in the campus, but declined to answer whether they rung the
bell, or were of the party in the village.

Mr Marsh admitted he was in
the campus,

Page 90

denied ringing the bell or blowing a
horn, but declined to answer the question whether he played the fiddle or was
one of the party in the village.

Messrs Brooks, Crumpler, W. Thompson, Walker, Wright, & J. Wright of the Freshman class admitted they were not in
their rooms, when the Faculty visited them, but denied being of the party which
went into the village, or that they had any part in the disturbances in the
campus.

Messrs Faison, E. Graham, Grimes, LongSawyer and Thompson
admitted they were not in their room, and did not deny participating in the
disturbances which took place in the campus and in the village.

Mr Graham disavowed any
connexion with the explosion of gunpowder against the door of the laboratory.

The investigation being now concluded, a consultation ensued respecting the four
Sophomores and the six Freshman last mentioned who did not deny their full
participation in the riot. It was moved to postpone a decision of the punishment
to be inflicted until the regular meeting of the Faculty this evening. The
motion was carried and thereupon

The regular meeting of the Faculty was opened with prayer by Rev Dr Mictchell. All the members were present.

The reports of absences from recitation and general deportment were next
submitted.

Mr David S. Cowan then
appeared at the instance of Prof Hubbard, who
reported that Mr Cowan came
to his recitation in the forenoon in a state of manifest intoxication, so that
it was necessary to send him out of the room

Page 91

under the care of two of his classmates. Mr Cowan did not deny the charge and was
suspended for three weeks.

It was now unanimously resolved that Messrs Cobb, P.
Green, McClenahan, and Marsh of the Sophomore Class and Faison, E.
Graham, Grimes,
Long, Sawyer, and Thompson of the Freshman class, for
participating in the disturbances of Thursday night be dismissed.

After this it was moved to inform these young men of their dismission tomorrow
morning in presence of all the Faculty. The motion was adopted, and the Faculty
then adjourned.

The President
read to them once more the answers they made yesterday to the questions of the
Faculty about their participation respectively in the late disturbances, and
invited them to submit any correction they might think proper. None was
suggested. He then addressed them in a most solemn manner about their past
conduct and the precautions to be observed in their present situation, and then
announced the sentence of dismission.

The Professors and Tutors immediately afterwards repaired to the house of Prof
Phillips,
and wrote the neccessary letters to the parents of those who were dismissed.